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2 Sheets=-8heet 1. v J. MILLER.

Car Coupling.

No. 61,553. Patented Jan. 29, 1867.

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Patent ed Jan. 29, 1867,

O-UTNOGRAPHER, WASNINGIQN. D. C.

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JOSEPH MILLER, OF CUBA, NElV YORK.

Letters Patent No. 61,553, dated January 29, 1867.

IMPROVED GAE-OOUPLING.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be itknown that I, JOSEPH MILLER, of Cuba, in the county of Alleghany,and State of New York, have invented a new and improved Car-Coupling;and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and

exact description-thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, making a part of this specification,

in which- Figure 1 is a front view of one of the couplings applied to apassenger car.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view, taken longitudinally through thecoupling, of fig. 1.

-Figure 3 is a front view of one of the couplings adapted fora freightcar.

Figure his a longitudinal section,taken vertically through the couplingof fig. 8.

Figure 5 is a top view of the draw-heads connected together.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of one of the hooked draw-heads.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a draw-head with a common linkcoupling attached to it.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

This invention relates to certain novel improvements on .that class ofrailroad car-couplings in which the coupling of two cars is effected bythe means of hooks, which are so constructed as to couple of themselves,when the cars are forcibly brought together, by interlocking with eachother. I

The nature of my invention consists maiulyin thefemployment of hooks inpairs, applied to flanged drawheads, which are so arranged as to becapable of receiving an oscillating movement about their axes; saidhooks being made so as to interlock right and left, and to allow of the.passing around curves without becoming disconnected or twisted; saidhooks being also adapted for having attached to them coupling links, sothat any car with the hooked couplings can be connected to the cars withthe common link and pin-couplings,;all as will be hereinafterdescribed.

The invention also consists in providing a simple and eilicient meansforadjusting a rocking hooked coupling, higher or lower, ascircumstances may require, and at the same time providing for the useofelastic pressure and draw-springs at the rear ends of the draw-rods,for relieving cars from shocks and injury in stopping and starting atrain, as will be hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I willdeseribe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, figs/1 and 2 represent my improvedcoupling applied to the end of a passenger car so as to beoonvenientlyoperated by a brakeman upon the platform. The coupling-headA is applied on the projecting end of a cylindrical draw-bar, B, whichis-madc of a'suitable length, and terminated at its inner end in a shortstud, a, which receives upon it ametallicor rubber spring, 6. Thisspring is confined in place between two collars, cc,-onthe stud a. Thespring Ii and collars .cc are enclosed within a strongbox, C, which isbolted to the flooring timbers D in any suitable manner, so that,endwise play of the draw-bar is allowed by the compression of thespring 6; and all shocks and concussions are received by this spring,and a correspond ing one applied to the draw-bar on the opposite car.The front part of the draw-bar B issupported'by means of a stirrup, C,which is bolted to the bottom side of the front platform beam, as shownin fig. 2,.and which is made of sufiicient length to allow ofall thevertical play required of the front end of said draw-bar. This stirrup Cnot only serves to support the draw-bar, but it also serves to sustainit against lateral displacement. To adjust the front end of the draw-barto different heights, a notched wedge, E, inserted laterally through thestirrup C, beneath the-bar B, may be employed, or, if desirable, avertical screw may be used, inserted through the botterm of the stirrup,so as to supportnpon its end the said draw-bar. If the notched wedge Eis used for ad usting the draw-head vertically, it may be-moved by meansof a lever, or otherwise. For freight or box cars, the plan representedin figs. 3 and 4 for raising and lowering the draw-head or front end ofthe draw-bar. This plan consists in suspending the front part of thedraw-bar B by means of a sliding stirrup, G which is placed astride ofthe transversebeam D, and constructed so as to receive through its lowerends said draw-bar, as shown in fig. 4. stirrup, C, is also employed forguiding the bar B and sustaining it against lateral displacement, asdescribed for the-plan illustrated infigs l and 2. Through the upper endof the sliding stirrup C, a wedge, F, passes transversely, which wedgeis supported by and moved upon the transverse beam D by means of the rod0. This rod is'bent or cranked on each side or end of the wedge F, andits extremities are also bent, as shown in fig. 3. By turning the rod 0,which passes freely through the wedge 15:, so that its ant ends areperpendicular to the end of the car, theiwedge may be moved ,endwise soas to raise or lower the raw-head or front cnd of its bar. By rod 2 backto its former position, its cranked portions will be caughty the pin 2',andthe wedge will be preventedfromnioving out of place. By means of therod e the .wedge'F in be adjusted by a person standing-at either side ofthe car without going between two cars. A collar or and, h, encirclesthe draw-bar in rear of its forward supporting stirrup, and to thiscollar 0. lever-arm, k is :cured. A tenon, which is formed on the collarit, enters a longitudinal slot which is made in said draw-bar, I that,by vibrating arm 71., the draw-bar audits head will receive a rockingmovement. The attachment of the ollar h by means of its tenon and groovewill allow of a free independent endwise movement of the vdraw-bar. [1passenger cars the draw-bar B is rotated or oscillated by means of alever, G, which is pivoted to the front of he car platform, as shown infig. 1. The lower end of this lever, G, is connected to the arm h bymeans of a od, G, and spring, j. The upper end of lever G is held in thedesired position by means of notches, It k H, 1 the guard rail H. Forfreight cars, a draw-rod, I, which is held in place against the end ofthe car body, is sed in conjunction with a spring, j, for vibratinglever h, which in this case projects upward from its drawar B. The rod Ihas two notches in-its lower edge, which are used for holding this redand the draw-bar in the esired positions. I

I will now proceed to describe the construction of the draw-headsor,coupling heads A, which are suitbly secured upon the projecting endsof the draw-bars,'as shown in the drawings. The draw-heads A A areonstructed exactly alike, with segmental hooked portions, m m,projecting from their circular ends, so that rhen two draw-heads arebrought together the hooked surfaces will interlock with each other.Each head has we hooked segments formed'on it, and arrangeddiametrically opposite each other, with a central spacebetween hem.These quarter segments are constructed to hook in opposite directions,and the hooks are arranged [early in the same line, so that when twoheads are coupled together they will allow of a lateral vibration forurning curves in the road. To prevent the uncoupling of the hooks by thelateral shaking motion of cars vhile'in'motion, I construct flanges, n,oneach end of thecircularheads, as shown in figs. 3, 5, 6, and 7, which-'orIn lateral stays for the ends of .thehookswhen' coupled together.The'side facespp of the hooks mm are revelled, as shown iii thedrawings, so that when twocars are --brought together the bevelledsurfaces on the looks of one head, A, impinge upon thecorresponding'surfaces of the books on the opposite head A and cause ;heheads to move about their axesa sufiicient distance'to allow the hooksto interlock. The hooks on the lraw-hcads are held in position forcoupling by means of the springs upon the levers or rods, which are used;0 oscillate said heads, as above explained, so that when two heads are"forcibly brought together they will nterlock of themselves, and thehookswill be held together by thevforce of the springs, as aforesaid.The IOOkS of each head A are perforated at T1 for the purpose ofreceiving through them a coupling pin L for con iecting a commoncoupling'link,-I| to the heads, as shown in fig. 7. The pin holes andprojections m must be orought in a vertical line to receive said pin andlink, for which purpose the rod-or lever which is used to oscillate theheads is moved into the proper position, and held by its notch, asdescribed. This feature of my invention is a very important one, as itadmits of the coupling of cars having the common link couplings withcars having my improved oscillating hooked couplings.

I It will be seen from the above description of my invention thatlemploy self-locking coupling hooks which are adaptedfor being connectedto the common link couplings, and. which are formed on flanged headsthat prevent casual uncoupling of cars; said hgoks and heads beingformedfon or applied to adjustable rocking drawbars, which are allowedtohave an elastic endwise play for relieving shocks. and concussions,and which are provided with means by which these rods and theirheads canbe readily uncoupled withoutsubjecting the brakemen to danger-of beingcrushed between cars. In casting. theheads and hooks I shall chill thosesurfaces which are subject to wear, so as to harden and render themdurable. I

I Having described my invention, what I claim asnew, and desireto-securc by Letters Patent, is

1. 'Draw heads A, with interlocking hooks m'm, and flanges 92,substantially as, described. I 2. The oscillating or turning hookeddraw-heads A, which are adapted for having connected to them the commoncoupling links, substantially as described. I

3. Interlocking or hooked turning and sliding draw-bars, constructed andoperating substantially on the principle he'rein set forth.

4. An adjustable stirrup C in combination with the sliding wedge F andadjusting rod e, substantially as and for the purposes described. I

5. The lever or rod connected to the lever-arm h, which latter issecured to a collar it, through which the draw-bars have an endwiscmovement, substantially as described. v

6; The combination of a spring j with the devices which are employed foroscillating or turning the drawhead and its bar; said spring being soappliedv as to act upon the draw-heads to keep the hooks thereoftogether, substantially as explained- 7. The combination of the turningand sliding draw-bars, with spring I; 11, substantially as and for thepurposes described.

JOSEPH MILLER- Witnesses:

R. TfGaMPBELL, Enw. SGH'AFER;

